Another Strike Off The List
by TheReaperofWords
Summary: What if Callaghan had meant for someone to die in the fire after all? It just wasn't Tadashi that he had in mind. *Rated T for character death*


"My microbots!" Hiro cried, racing towards the source of the wailing siren. He couldn't believe it. All those months of hard work and effort, culminating in what could be his greatest invention to date. And it was all about to go up in smoke.

"Hiro!" He was jerked to an abrupt halt just short of the stairs, caught by the hood of his jacket. "Are you crazy?!" Tadashi yelled at him, wild eyed. "You can't go in there, it's too dangerous! You can make more microbots!"

But Hiro wasn't so sure that he could. He hadn't saved the backup schematics, too rushed off his feet trying to get the things done in time for the showcase to have bothered with worrying about anything else. The last two months blurred together in his mind, forming a haze from which he couldn't pick out individual actions. He'd been working on automatic, very much like a robot himself. Only he didn't have a processor that you could just pull files out of at will. He was only human.

That argument wouldn't be enough to convince Tadashi, though, and he knew it. Tadashi had boundless faith in Hiro's brilliance. There would be no doubt in his mind that Hiro could recreate the bots, from scratch if need be. Hiro tried to take comfort from that faith as he watched the building burn, the dancing flames reflected in his eyes. He was only human. Which meant that he would burn far more easily than a robot. Machines could be rebuilt. People could not. He sagged under the weight of the knowledge that Tadashi was right in this. But it still hurt.

It had been a long time since he'd put such care into a project. Even Megabot, which he had been the most proud of up to now. Building those microbots had reminded him of all the crazy stuff he used to invent with Tadashi. Way back when they were kids, before they'd grown into differing ideas and ways of thinking. Hiro would never admit it out loud, but he missed it. When he'd made the microbots, it had felt like old times again. Even though he'd done all of the work himself, Tadashi and his friends had been with him all the way, offering support and encouragement whenever he got stuck.

At first, he'd thought that having the others around would be cloying. That they'd get in the way of the process he and Tadashi had developed long ago, in which they needed no one but each other. Instead, it had turned out to be some of the best times of Hiro's life so far. He'd never found it easy to make friends, so it was almost scary the ease with which he found himself integrating as a part of their group. Almost too good to be true.

When he looked at the fire, he didn't see thousands of microbots going up in flames. He saw thousands of moments, the time they'd all spent together, snuffed out in an instant. As if it had never been real, never been his to keep in the first place. And it hurt so badly.

He wanted to turn away, didn't want to watch. But the flames drew him in like a moth to a light bulb. So there he stood, transfixed by the sight of the blazing structure, when a woman stumbled out of the doors and down the steps. Hiro started in horror. Hadn't they evacuated everyone by now? What was she doing still inside?! She was coughing so hard that she didn't even see them before she crashed into Tadashi, forcing him to let go of Hiro in order to catch her before she fell.

"Are you okay? Hiro, go and get the paramedics!"

Hiro didn't like taking orders from anyone, but even he knew better than to argue with Tadashi when he used that tone of voice. Still he hesitated, rooted to the ground by the persistent desire to somehow rescue his microbots. He lingered long enough to catch the tail end of the woman's words.

"-ine. But some-one's st-still in there! I th-think it's...Professor Callaghan!"

"What?!" The blood drained from Tadashi's face and Hiro froze. Professor Callaghan? No, it had to be some kind of mistake. His gaze snapped back to the fire, which now appeared somehow even more terrible with the knowledge of who exactly was still trapped inside. Tadashi lurched forward, as if about to do the very same stupid thing he had just warned Hiro off of and plunge headfirst into the flames himself. The only thing that stopped him was the weight of the woman still in his arms. She dragged him down, causing him to stumble as she succumbed to another violent fit of coughing. He looked back and forth between her and the burning building, undecided, before locking eyes with his little brother. "Hiro, you stay with her until the medics come. I'm going in after Professor Callaghan."

"What?! But you just said it was too dangerous to go in there!"

"This is different! We're talking about a person this time, not a robot. If someone doesn't get him out of there, he'll die!"

' _He'll die!'_ The words echoed and bounced around in Hiro's brain like a difficult math problem, challenging him to fill in the blanks. His eyes glazed over, as they did whenever he was getting an idea. _'He'll die...Unless someone finds a way to save him. Unless_ **you** _find a way to save him.'_

Something clicked with a sensation akin to an electric shock. He could have whooped aloud for joy. Once again, Tadashi had proven himself to be the perfect catalyst. He'd gone and practically gift-wrapped Hiro the solution. The young genius could have slapped himself for not thinking of it sooner, it was so obvious. He had the ability to save both Callaghan _and_ his microbots in one fell swoop! All he had to do was to use his neurotransmitter to call the microbots to come together. With their combined mass, they could smother the fire before it got any more out of hand. Practically jumping up and down with excitement, Hiro patted his pockets, looking for the piece of machinery.

It wasn't there.

Alarmed, he wracked his brain trying to remember when he'd last had it. He'd been wearing it until the end of his presentation...what had he done with it then? His heart sank. Of course. High on relief that it was finally over and excitement at the reaction of the crowd, he'd promptly torn off the headband and dropped it onto the stage as Tadashi ran to meet him. He'd carelessly thrown away the one thing that could have saved the situation. The one hope they had for getting Professor Callaghan out of there alive. _Stupid!_

"Hiro, hurry up and take her!" Tadashi shouted, lowering the woman carefully to the ground, holding onto her arm so she didn't fall over. Hiro met his brother's eyes, and in that moment he knew what he had to do. If something wasn't done soon, then Tadashi was going to go in after Callaghan himself. And Tadashi didn't know where Hiro had dropped the neurotransmitter. Even if Hiro told him, he wouldn't think to go and get it, too focused on trying to save one person when they could save the entire showcase. There was no time to explain, and no way that Tadashi would let Hiro come with him to retrieve it. There was only one thing he could do.

"You're right. Someone has to help...But it doesn't have to be you."

Without another word, Hiro bolted, diving towards the burning building before Tadashi even knew what hit him. His brother cried out, yelling at him to come back. Shouting was all that he could do. Tadashi wouldn't be able free himself from his charge in time to stop him. Hiro had been counting on that. He could only pray that Tadashi would show some of that infamous sense of his that made him "the good brother" and not to try to come in after him.

He burst through the doors, the heated glass searing his palms, and immediately forgot about everything else except for heat licking his skin and the flames dancing before his eyes. A thunderous boom sounded behind him, drowning out his brother's continued shouts. A rush of hot air knocked him off his feet when one of the more flammable exhibits exploded. The ceiling caved in behind him, effectively blocking off the entrance to the building. Well, at least that ensured no one would be coming in after him. Tadashi was going to kill him for this. The scoldings he got after running off to a botfight were going to look like playful banter once his brother was finished with him. But it would all be worth it once Hiro had managed to save the day.

Smoke wrapped around him on all sides, choking his airways and making it impossible to see. His way out was gone, but Hiro wasn't too worried about that just yet. Wandering the back alleys for fun had given him nerves of steel. He knew he'd be fine as long as he had options and something to work with. All he had to do was get the neurotransmitter and he'd be golden. Then, once he found Callaghan they could smash their way out using the tiny bots as a battering ram. They'd be out, free and clear, in no time. He just had to keep telling himself that.

Coughing, he pressed his sleeve over his nose and mouth, sweeping his other arm back and forth in a wide arc in an effort to clear some of the smoke. Blinking through streaming eyes, he struggled to make out anything that looked familiar as he made his way further into the building. His progress was agonizingly slow as he was forced to dodge around tongues of flame that snatched at him as he passed. He could barely even see his hand stretched out in front of him, let alone make out any of the displays until he nearly ran into them. Dark shapes, twisted and warped by the fire loomed at him out of the smoke like monsters from a nightmare. He stumbled, coughing violently, panic creeping up his spine with every passing moment he stayed floundering through this hell. Where was the stage?! It had felt like a long walk when he'd had to go up and give his presentation, but this beat that experience by a mile! Nerves of steel or not, he was still just a fourteen year old boy, and he was rapidly losing his cool.

The worst kinds of "what if" questions plagued his mind, chipping further and further away at his composure. What if the stage had been the first thing to catch and had already been swallowed by the fire? What if his neurotransmitter was gone, destroyed by the hungry blaze? What if he'd come in here for nothing?

What if he was going to die here?

He shook off that thought before it could take root and make an already bad situation even worse. No, he hadn't come in here for nothing. Professor Callaghan was still in the building with him. If his neurotransmitter were destroyed, then he'd just have to find Callaghan as fast as he could and get out without relying on his microbots for help. They could do it, if just barely. They were both geniuses, they'd be able to think of a way out, no problem! Assuming the Professor was even still alive by now.

His eyes watering from more than just the smoke, Hiro stumbled forward and immediately jerked back when he almost ran headfirst into a wall. Wait, no it wasn't a wall. The surface was curved, and he could see the light from the fire flickering over the obstruction just a few feet above his head. The stage! He'd found it!

Almost sobbing with relief, Hiro felt his way up the steps. At the top he skidded onto his knees, not even caring when he felt the scrapes and bruises forming. Eagerly, he scanned the area where he thought he'd dropped the neurotransmitter. His excitement quickly bled into dismay when he realized that it wasn't there. Growing frantic, he forced himself to go as slowly as he dared, combing every inch of the stage for the headband. But once again, he came up empty.

Maybe it had bounced when he dropped it and rolled off the edge of the stage? But he didn't have time to check the floor for where it might have fallen. The fire was crawling up the walls. If he didn't get out soon, he wouldn't be getting out at all. With a choked off cry of frustration, Hiro climbed to his feet, cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted as loud as he could past the smoke flooding his lungs. "Professor Callaghan! It's me, Hiro! Are you there? If you can hear me, call out! _Professor_ _!_ " His already hoarse throat began to feel as if he'd swallowed some of the flames as he shouted, but he kept at it. Simultaneously he used his high vantage point to peer through the smoke, hoping to catch a glimpse of the man.

Drawing in another shallow breath he immediately doubled over coughing and hacking. Struggling to breathe, he tried to call for the Professor again but his voice came out as a near inaudible wheeze. He had to get out. At this rate, he'd suffocate before the flames got to him. He'd keep searching for Callaghan as he looked for an exit, but he simply couldn't yell any longer. In a quiet part of his mind, he suspected that it was already too late for the older man. His heart ached as he couldn't help but picture the look on Tadashi's face when he found out that Hiro had failed. That his favorite Professor, his friend, was gone forever. And that Hiro could have saved him if only he'd showed a little more care.

His feet dragged as he all but fell off the stage. The words _'you failed, you failed'_ echoed over and over in his mind with Tadashi's voice. With a heavy heart, he started towards the back of the building, peering through the smoke for the emergency exit. He hadn't taken more than three steps when something brought him to an abrupt halt. It was a voice, quiet and barely perceptible beneath the crackling and snapping of the fire eating it's way steadily through the building's supports. Hope and disbelief swelling in his chest he strained his ears, trying desperately to pick it out again.

"...ir...o...Hiro…!"

"Professor!" Hiro spun on his heel, looking for any sign of movement through the smoke.

"Professor Callaghan? Where are you?!"

"Here...Over here...Hurry…!"

Heart pounding, Hiro pinpointed where the call seemed to originate from and hurried forward as fast as he could while still having to duck around the flames. A loud snap sounded directly over his head. Instinct and quick reflexes born of botfighting with hardened criminals in the back alleys had him moving before his brain even caught up with his action. He dove out of the way, narrowly missing getting flattened by a blazing support beam that crashed down right where he'd been standing half a second before. It took out half the stage instead, the rest already being consumed by the inferno.

Stunned by his narrow escape, Hiro stared wide eyed at the smoldering wreck. He couldn't move, his mind struggling to process the fact that his young life had nearly come to a very abrupt and painful end. Until now, he hadn't really believed that he might die in here. The reality had quite literally come crashing down on top of him, shattering what was left of the mental dam he'd constructed to hold back his fear. With a yelp he scrambled backwards away from the remains of the stage when an ember almost caught on his sneaker. He hissed through his teeth at the unexpected pain when his ankle protested against the movement.

Oh, perfect! A twisted ankle was the last thing he needed right now!

"Hiro."

The quiet call of his name had his head snapping around to see a dark shape coming towards him through the smoke. A feeling of immense relief momentarily washed away the stinging pain of the heat licking his skin and that of his throbbing ankle.

"Professor Callaghan! I can't believe it, you're okay! Quick, we've got to get out of...here..." His excitement faded when he realized that the shadow was much too large to be cast by a single person. A sinuous dark shape moved just beyond his range of sight, raising the hairs on the back of his neck. Reaching out, it swept the smoke aside like a curtain to reveal a familiar figure.

Robert Callaghan appeared much as he had when he'd handed Hiro his acceptance letter not even an hour ago. His clothes and skin were stained with ash, but he bore no injuries that immediately presented themselves to the untrained eye. The biggest difference, however, was the glowing device that he wore across his brow. An item that Hiro had been convinced he would never see again.

"My neurotransmitter…?" Peering closer at sinuous shapes twisting restlessly within the smoke, Hiro almost laughed aloud when he finally recognized his microbots. And to think he'd been imagining some escaped science experiment gone wrong. Though his relief that they hadn't been destroyed was swiftly being overwhelmed by confusion. Why did Callaghan have them?

The answer dawned on him in a burst of inspiration brighter than the fire, and this time he couldn't hold back the bark of disbelieving laughter. The Professor hadn't needed rescuing at all! He'd obviously figured out the same solution that Hiro had. Most likely he'd seen Hiro drop the transmitter after the presentation. When the fire broke out, he'd remembered and picked it up knowing he could use the microbots to fight the fire. Great minds think alike indeed! Only one of their great minds hadn't run recklessly into a burning building, looking for someone who already had the situation in hand. Oh, Tadashi was never going to let him live this one down!

But something didn't quite fit. If Callaghan had already had the mircobots when the fire broke out, why had he let it reach this size? Maybe he'd put priority on helping to get everyone else safely out of the building. But surely he'd have realized that such action wouldn't have been necessary if he'd just taken care of the fire while it was still relatively small. The question nagged at Hiro, but he brushed it off as being trivial for the moment. Questions could wait for later. What mattered now was getting the heck out of here before they were the ones feeding the fire. Picking himself up off the ground, he limped his way towards the Professor, mindful of his bad ankle, and reached out a hand.

"I'll take it from here, sir. Give me the neurotransmitter, and I'll have us out of here in no time."

"No."

Hiro froze, hand still outstretched, staring at the man in shock. "What? Professor, this is serious! We need to get out of here before-"

"I had a feeling you'd come back in here once you realized your microbots were in danger." The Professor cut him off. His tone was just as calm and collected as it had been during the showcase. But now there was a cold edge of steel tempering his voice. It made Hiro's skin crawl. "People like you always want to protect their investments."

"What? Professor, you're not making any-"

"Tadashi Hamada is a brilliant student, you know. As a teacher I'm not supposed to play favorites, but I'll admit that I've always been rather fond of him. He has such vision for one so young. You should be proud of him."

Hiro took a step back, the fear that had previously died down at the welcome sight of a familiar face beginning to flare to life again. Only this time, it wasn't the fire that was scaring him. Something was wrong here. What could be causing the man to act so strangely? And why did he feel the need to bring up Tadashi right now?

"I...I am proud of him."

"Really? You have a funny way of showing it." Callaghan fixed him with a hard look that made Hiro's blood run cold. He knew that look. He'd seen it all too many times in the eyes of botfighters who didn't take kindly to being cheated by some punk kid. But it had no place here. He'd never done anything to wrong Callaghan. So why was the man looking at him like that?

"What does Tadashi have to do with this?"

"With this, you mean?" Callaghan swept a hand out to indicate the building crumbling around them, the swarm of microbots at his feet undulating as they reacted to the gesture. "Why, nothing at all. This was never supposed to have anything to do with Tadashi Hamada, or with you. Not at first. I was ready to turn a blind eye...until I realized that one man turning a blind eye is exactly what brought my entire world crashing down a year ago. I could never allow myself to commit the same crime as that man."

"What-" The realization hit Hiro like a ton of bricks. "You did this? You set the fire?!" He waited for Callaghan to laugh at him, or give him a scornful look like he was crazy for even suggesting it. The way teachers always did when you asked them a stupid question. Because it had to be a stupid question. It couldn't be right. Never in his life had Hiro wished so fervently to have gotten something wrong.

But Callaghan wasn't even bothering to deny it.

"There you go, Mr. Hamada. I knew a bright boy like you would catch on eventually. But do try to keep up from now on, we haven't all that much time left."

Instead of feeling more afraid than ever considering he was trapped in a building with an admitted arsonist, Hiro got angry. They might both die here and Callaghan was acting as if he were giving a lecture in class. Hiro balled his fists and shouted as loud as his raw throat would allow.

"Are you kidding me?! Why? Why would you do something this insane!" His eyes fell on the headband secured snugly over Callaghan's brow, an awful suspicion beginning to take hold. "...You did this to steal my microbots? What for?"

"That doesn't concern you."

"It does if you're using my invention to commit a felony. Give them back!" Enraged, Hiro lunged at the man, intending to rip the neurotransmitter from his head. But he'd forgotten about his injured ankle, which crumbled under his weight. He barreled into Callaghan's chest instead of leaping at his head as he'd intended. Dazed, he scrabbled at the man's face, clawing at his eyes even as he tried to reach high enough to grab the transmitter. The next second he was airborne, his back slamming hard into one of the ruined display cases. He cried out as the flames caught on his jacket, burning easily through the thin fabric to bite at the skin of his back. He dropped to his stomach and rolled, desperately trying to put out the fire. When he was sure the flames were out, he slumped to the floor, face pressed against the hot ground. He fought to draw in a breath, the smell of burnt flesh and fabric stinging his nose. Tears of fear and pain dripped from his eyes, evaporating instantly in the super heated air that pressed down on him like a thick, smothering blanket. Callaghan came into view, looming over him with microbots twisting about his feet like living shadows. The illuminated circuits of the neurotransmitter cast his face in a sinister light.

"Your brother sacrificed so much to get you here, you know."

"Stop- stop talking about Tadashi. You already said that he has nothing to do with this!"

"You really have no idea what you put him through, do you?"

That gave Hiro pause as he struggled to catch his breath. "Wha… what are you talking about?

"I've lost count of the times he's been late on an assignment, or come to me bemoaning of how much trouble you've gotten yourself into. Trouble that he's once again had to clean up. He doesn't apply himself the way he should, because he's too busy covering up for a little delinquent like you."

"That's what this is about? Bad behavior? Late homework assignments?!"

"No, you stupid boy. They said you were a genius and yet you can't so much as reach one simple conclusion? Did you even invent these microbots, or did you simply steal them? Did your brother have to do the work for you, as with everything else?"

Fear for his brother lent a protective edge to Hiro's fury. There could only be one reason that Callaghan kept bringing up Tadashi like this. "I don't know what your game is with all this, but you'd better not hurt him, or I'll-!"

"Hurt him? I have no intention of hurting him, Mr. Hamada. Tadashi is destined for great things...Things he'll never accomplish with you getting in the way."

Now was the time Hiro found himself becoming truly, dreadfully afraid. Pain and exhaustion drained his anger away, leaving him feeling cold despite the flames still bearing down on them, growing ever closer. Callaghan was insane. He was trapped in a burning building with a madman. A madman who definitely seemed to have something against him.

He pulled himself up, despite the pain radiating across his shoulders. With effort he backed away from Callaghan, intending to make a run for it. But he didn't get far before he found himself on his back again with a length of hot metal wrapping around his already swollen ankle. A tendril of his microbots had separated from the main body and snagged his leg, burning his skin on contact. He grabbed at the robots, ignoring the sting in his hands as he tried to swat them off. But that only made them tighten their grip, others already swarming towards him.

"It's people like you that cost decent, hardworking people their futures while you sit back and watch, uncaring. Tadashi could do so much good with his work if it weren't for you holding him back. Forcing him to clean up after your own mistakes and to save you from your own stupidity. Wasting his own life trying to help you make something out of yours.

"You are a loose cannon, Hiro Hamada. A parasite! Playing with other people's lives, disregarding what they have to sacrifice on behalf of your selfish whims. _Just_ _like Alistair_ _Krei_."

"Krei? What does Krei have to do with this?!" That's it, just keep him talking. Someone was bound to come. Firemen, the police...Tadashi. No! Not Tadashi! Hiro didn't want him here, seeing this. Didn't want his brother anywhere near this psycho, because what if Callaghan turned on him next?"

"His reckoning is coming." Hiro's heart leaped into his throat with the irrational fear that Callaghan had somehow read his mind. "Alistair Krei has much to answer for."

Krei. He was still going on about Krei, not Tadashi.

The microbots were constricting his chest, now, pinning his arms and making it even more difficult for him to breathe. With the last of his strength, Hiro fought back, struggling madly in one last attempt to break free from their hold. But it was no use. Their grip held firm and soon he slumped in their grasp, utterly spent.

Callaghan had gone quiet, calmly watching his struggles with a disinterested air. Almost politely, he waited for Hiro to wear himself out before continuing with his diatribe. As if he wanted to make sure that his captive audience didn't miss a word. Hatred like he'd never felt before surged within Hiro, burning hotter than the fire that threatened to consume them both, all of it directed at the monster standing before him in a man's skin.

As he watched, the microbots rose up around Callaghan, forming themselves into sharp points.

"Had I not intervened, you may have ended up selling Krei your microbots, thus handing him yet another weapon with which to ruin innocent lives. I would have liked to think you were smarter than that, but you're just as greedy and selfish as he is. No doubt the two of you would have made quite the pair.

"No, you cannot be allowed to continue on as you are. That's how people like Krei come into power. Well, no more. People like you and Krei need to be scoured from the face of this earth, before you can do any more damage to the good people you take advantage of!" The words were raving, but throughout his speech, his face remained like stone. Horribly composed and unforgiving.

"Professor Callaghan," Hiro cried out in terror, gasping desperately for air. The microbots were crawling up towards his face now, threatening to swallow him whole. "Please, don't do this! You don't want to do this!" Where was Tadashi? He wanted his brother, if only to tell him goodbye one last time. Why hadn't he listened to his warning not to come in here? He wouldn't be in this situation if he'd just listened for once!

' _Knucklehead!'_ He could hear Tadashi yelling at him, scolding him for being so reckless. A sob hitched in his throat.

' _I'm sorry, bro. I really mean it this time. This is all my fault and I'm so, so sorry...'_

At the same time, he found that he was glad. Glad that if either of them had had to wind up here, that it was him and not Tadashi. Who knows what Callaghan would have done to him if he had. At the very least, it would have broken Tadashi's heart. And Callaghan was right about one thing. Tadashi had sacrificed enough of his life for Hiro's sake. In return, Hiro was glad to have spared him this.

Tears slipped down his cheeks, dropping onto the microbots reaching for his face. He tilted his head back, trying to keep them away as he looked into the remorseless eyes of the man he'd once admired almost as much as his brother. "Please…!"

Callaghan just stared back, watching the life being slowly squeezed from the boy. For a moment, something seemed to soften in his face and Hiro dared to hope that maybe he had gotten through to him. But then his expression closed off again and Hiro's hope died.

"Congratulations on your acceptance into SFIT, Mr. Hamada. A pity you won't be able to attend. Consider your microbots your first, and last greatest contribution to science. But don't worry...I can guarantee I will be putting them to much better use than you would have."

He thought Callaghan was finished with him. That those were to be the last words Hiro would hear before his own microbots swallowed him up and the world went dark. He was wrong.

"You're lucky, you know. You'll get to see my daughter far sooner than I will. If it's any consolation, I will be sure to deliver my condolences to your brother at your funeral."


End file.
